Nutella Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk ((lukewarm))
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoon active yeast (*Note 1)
• 3 1/2 cups plain flour (*Note 2)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter ((soft))
• 1 egg ((medium/large *Note 3))
• 1/2 cup plain flour ((additional where required))
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 1 egg ((medium/large for the egg wash))
• 1 tablespoon milk ((or water for the eggwash))
• 1-2 tablespoons icing sugar ((powdered sugar))

Instructions

1. 1

   Warm up the milk until it is lukewarm. Add in the sugar and the yeast. Stir together and let sit until the milk becomes foamy and creamy looking.

2. 2

   In the bowl of your stand mixer (with the dough hook attachment) combine the dry ingredients (flour and salt), stir together, then pour in the yeast mixture, add the egg, and the soft butter. Mix on a low speed to form a shaggy dough.

3. 3

   Knead the bread dough on a low-medium speed (I always use speed 2 on my Kitchen Aid), for 10 minutes until you have reached the window-pane test. If the dough is looking a bit wet, add in the additional flour 2 tablespoons at a time. I find that I sometimes only need half the additional flour, and other times all of the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary.

4. 4

   To check the dough, take a small piece, and gently stretch it out between your fingers until the dough is thin and you can see light through it. If the dough tears easily, it needs to be kneaded further.

5. 5

   Place about 1 tablespoon of oil in a large bowl. Shape the dough into a ball, then place it into the lightly greased bowl, turning the dough a few times to cover it in oil. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or cling film, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to proof in a warm place for an hour to an hour and a half, or until the dough has doubled in size.

6. 6

   Once the dough has been proofed, punch down the dough, then turn it out onto a clean work surface. Divide the dough into 4. For each portion of dough, pick up the edges, and pull to the middle to create a round-ish shape. Then turn the ball over onto its seam, and create a little cage with your fingers over the dough swirling loosely around the dough until you have a nice round roll. The surface should have very little flour, if any, as we are using the stickiness of the surface to create tension on the dough.

7. 7

   Line a large baking tray or baking sheet with parchment paper (I used a Jelly Roll pan). Roll the first ball into a thin disk about 9 inches or 23cm across. Sometimes the dough will resist being stretched and rolled, if you hit any resistance, let the dough sit for a minute or two, this allows the proteins to relax, and then continue. Repeat for all the balls.

8. 8

   Place the first piece of dough onto the prepared baking tray. Then spread 1/3 of the Nutella spread on the disk, leaving about 0.5 cm or 1/8 inches spread free. Place the second disk of dough over the Nutella, trying to line up the edges as best as possible. Spread with the second 1/3 of Nutella again leaving about 0.5 cm or 1/8 inches spread free. Repeat with the third disk of dough. Then place the final fourth disk of dough over the Nutella. Gently pinch the edges together.

9. 9

   Place a 7cm or 3-inch round cookie cutter into the center of the dough. Then using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut from the cookie cutter to the edge to create 4 equal portions. Repeat for each portion to create 8, and then a final time to create 16 portions in total. *Note 4

10. 10

    Take two pieces of dough right next to each other, one in each hand, and lift and twist the dough 3 times away from each other. Pinch the outer edges together.

11. 11

    Cover the top of the now gorgeous star with some cling film, plastic wrap, or a clean tea towel. Allow to rise for about 30 minutes, or until the star is nice and puffy. You will know when it's ready to be baked when you poke the edge of the bread, and the indent jumps back about half the way.

12. 12

    While the star is rising, preheat the oven to 190°/375°F.

13. 13

    Just before you pop the bread into the oven, beat together an egg and a tablespoon of water or milk. Brush the egg wash over the bread.

14. 14

    Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. The bread should be a nice deep golden brown when done. The internal temperature will be about 90°C/190°F.

15. 15

    Allow the bread to cool on the tray for 15 minutes before lifting it onto a wire rack to cool further for at least 20 minutes. I lift my bread using the parchment paper.

16. 16

    Dust the bread by sieving about 1 to 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar (icing sugar) over the top of the bread. Then let everyone tear off a piece of bread. This bread can be served warm or at room temperature.